North Star Voices: Elizabeth Scheu Close

North Star Voices: Elizabeth Scheu Close

Join us for North Star Voices, a Thursday evening series that brings Minnesota’s remarkable people, places, and stories to life in a relaxed, social setting. Grab a drink, connect with fellow history and culture enthusiasts, and settle in for an engaging conversation about the people and ideas that have shaped our state.

In December, award-winning author Jane King Hession will share the fascinating story of pioneering architect Elizabeth "Lisl" Scheu Close (1912–2011), one of the few women practicing architecture in the mid-twentieth century and a visionary whose work helped define Minnesota's modern built landscape.

Drawing from her acclaimed biography, Hession will explore Close's six-decade career, from designing the first International Style house in Minneapolis to embracing innovative materials, prefabricated housing, and modern approaches to residential design. Along the way, she'll highlight how Close's groundbreaking work reflected—and helped shape—changing American lifestyles, while overcoming barriers as a woman in a male-dominated profession.

The evening will feature a presentation by Jane King Hession, followed by a Q&A and book signing. Copies of Elizabeth Scheu Close: A Life in Modern Architecture will be available for purchase. Pay-what-you-will with a $10.

North Star Voices takes place in the Education Wing on Thursday evenings, offering an opportunity to enjoy history, conversation, and community in a casual “history happy hour” atmosphere. Doors open at 6:00 pm, with a cash bar on site.

Jane King Hession is a Minnesota-based architectural historian specializing in modernism. She is a founding partner of Modern House Productions and author or coauthor of several books, including John H. Howe, Architect: From Taliesin Apprentice to Master of Organic Design, also published by the University of Minnesota Press.